Sussex Electronics Radio Fair 2015 – SERF

The weather favoured us at the Sussex Electronics Radio Fair on Saturday 6th June (yesterday at this time of writing!), and turned out to be a very enjoyable day for amateur radio enthusiasts and exhibitors alike.

The evening prior to the event saw RAYNET operators and SERF organisers from EREC and BSARS helping exhibitors get organised for the following day, the beginning of which went very well, with visitors being warmly welcome to the event (it was great to put the face to some names/calls), and the day proceeded from around 10am where the main hall exhibition began in full swing.

Above: Paul M0LRE from EREC having a friendly chat with a visitor, behind, the GB6SRF special event call-in station which during the course of the day took quite a few calls!

ICOM U.K. were present with a very professional looking stand and displayed the latest amateur radio transmitters from their current range and were happy to answer any questions and provide demonstrations of their products.

Above: The mighty ICOM stand understandably drew quite a bit of attention. The new lineup of rigs from their product range was more than a bit tempting, and too tempting for some no doubt!

Above: Kevin G3AAF who was representing R.F. Design had a fine looking display and was keen to help anyone interested in weak signal work for HF through to the microwave bands.

During the course of the morning and early afternoon, visitors continued to come and go and the main hall was quite well stocked with a wide selection of components, antennas and older equipment as well including some superb wattmeters, ammeters and such for very reasonable prices. One of which was probably the largest one I have seen as shown in the image below.

Above: Back left of the table above. Now that’s what I call a meter. Doubt it will fit on an Altoids mint tin, but if someone manages it, then surely an award will be given. The couple present had a superb selection of items.

Dave G8PUO was busy on the floor for most of the day organising and coordinating exhibitors with the help of RAYNET operatives, while Dan M0HOW (Publicity officer) of the Brede Steam Amateur Radio Club spent time on the RSGB stand talking to visitors about the benefits of joining the organisation.

Above: Left, Dan M0HOW club secretary from the Brede Steam Amateur Radio Society and deputy regional manager of Region 10 having a chat with a visitor on the RSGB stand.

The main hall was at times during the morning particularly busy, with other amateur radio socieities being present on their respective stands including Crawley ARS. RNARS, RSARS and many others (complete list after this article at the bottom of the page.)

Above: On the HERC stand Ron G4VBK and Leon G1HSM with someone taking a very close look at the 20mHz oscilloscope on offer. Behind a section of the main hall is bustling along quite nicely.

Above: Components .. lots of components!

It was great to see and meet plenty of new faces there, including one or two that I have heard calls of but never met before. One chap had driven down from Swindon and was enjoying the weekend in Eastbourne with his wife and was delighted at the prospect of a new radio fair being held on the South East coast where there has not been one for many years. After asking around I soon discovered that the last fair was held at Newhaven over ten years ago. It seems only fitting that the Sussex Electronics Radio Fair becomes the success it deserves to be to promote amateur radio to the many enthusiasts who, down in this neck of the woods, are lacking a suitable event to attend. Dave Williams G8PUO and the team have done a fine job in the first year, and I have a distinct feeling that 2016’s event will be even bigger with 6 exhibitors having already signed up for the following year before the day had ended.

Phil G3MGQ said, “Hastings & Rother RAYNET were there assisting EREC by marshalling the car park, doing entry checking and providing communications for traders and visitors to the organisers. HERC were represented by Ron and Leon, with a table of surplus gear for sale. The hall is at least as big as Kempton so, with some stands being outside, the hall itself seemed a bit empty but traders I spoke to thought it was good for a new event, and will come again next year. Their view was that SERF filled the gap in the South East left since the demise of the rally at Brighton Racecourse, and should become the 5th big national rally. Attendance by traders and amateurs alike was probably not helped by the formal opening of the MLS new premises on the same day with a hog roast and substantial discounts on purchases of new equipment.”

Rob M0LYD said, “Considering that this was the first SERF, the organisers have done an excellent job. One small critism is that the route to the venue was not signposted well enough. There was plenty of room to look around the stands, as the main hall was extremely spacious. There was a varied array of stands, from new equipment to components, all being on display at reasonable prices. The hog roast was very welcome at lunch time, and could not be faulted. It was good to meet up with old friends and hope that this will be the first of many more SERF events.”

It was a genuine pleasure to meet those that I had the time to speak to on the day while I was wearing my RAYNET high-vis, and trust that everyone had a safe drive home after the event.

If you would like to use the images of the Sussex Electronics and Radio Fair that I took on the day, please feel free to do so by visiting the SERF 2015 image gallery and download the images from there. Free for all to use and I hope you enjoy the images of the day. Also a slideshow video of SERF.

G3MGQ’s Month on the Air

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